South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the ruling African National Congress must initiate a parliamentary process to enshrine in the constitution a proposed amendment, paving the way for land grabs without compensation. Ramaphosa, who vowed to return the lands owned by the white farmers since the 1600s to the

The US Air Force has tested the B61-12 nuclear bomb by dropping a dud from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber over Nevada, as part of an ambitious project to extend the service life of the bomb, introduced in 1968, by another 20 years. “The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto hit back at a BBC reporter who suggested his government is xenophobic and authoritarian during an intense interview, in which the politician defended his country’s immigration record. As Hungary’s foreign affairs chief sat down for an interview with BBC Newsnight on Tuesday, the talk quickly

The European commission has said the “simply unacceptable” imposition of high tariffs by the US on Spanish olives is already having a major effect on producers in southern Spain. This week the US Department of Commerce announced that tariffs ranging from 7.52% to 27.02% would be needed to counteract Spanish olive

Three years after it was saved from bankruptcy in 2010 with a €67.5bn rescue loan, Ireland became the first stricken eurozone state to stand on its own two feet. Dramatic austerity measures, including steep cuts to many public sector workers’ pay, had satisfied the European Union, the European Central Bank and the

The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network has accused Europe of betraying its fundamental values by ignoring the plight of the rescue ship Aquarius, as the 630 people it saved finally reached Spain after eight days of desperation, closed ports and rough seas. Malta and Italy’s refusal to take in

The extraordinary support we have received from European civil society since we were first refused a port of safety for the 630 people who were stranded on the Aquarius shows that citizens are wiser than their leaders (Report, 13 June). By showing their attachment to human life and dignity first,

Barcelona city council has said more state aid will be needed to help settle refugees and migrants as the Catalan capital prepares to take in 100 people from the rescue ship Aquarius. Ignasi Calbó, the co-ordinator of the Barcelona City of Refugees programme, said that Pedro Sánchez’s new Socialist government needed to back

Spain’s new Socialist government is determined to remove the remains of Francisco Franco from a vast mausoleum near Madrid and turn it into a place of “reconciliation” for a country still coming to terms with the dictator’s legacy. “There already exists an agreement in parliament, what we are going to do as

The race to lead Spain’s graft-tainted conservative Popular Party gathered pace Tuesday, as two women who were heavyweight ministers in Mariano Rajoy’s ousted government announced their candidacy. Former deputy prime minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, 47, and ex-defence minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal, 52, both threw their hats into the ring